St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1887-02-01
NOT TO BE BLUFPED
Congress Getting Quite Stirred Up Over
Great Britain's Course on the
Fisheries Question.
Sig nifcant Resolutions Introduced in the
House of Representatives by
Lawler, of Illinois.
Further Bluster From Canada Re.
garding Preparations for
Next Season.
Singular Disappearance of the Norths
ern Pacific Forfeiture Bill
The Public Debt.

WASHINGTON, Jan. 31.-In the senate
Mr.. Hoar presented the resolutions oe the
Massachusetts legislature concerning the
treatment of American fishing vessels in
Canadian waters, declaring itself in favor
OF retaliation to the extent of denying to
Canadian vessels in American ports the
right to purchase supplies, and the eventual
exclusion of all Canadian products by land
or sea, until the offensive legislation and
action of the Canadian authorities are dis
continued. Referred.
MIR. LAWLER, OF ILLINOIS,
offered the following preamble and resolu-
tions in the house to-day:
Whereas, The belligerant tone of the
| Canadian press and the announcement that
Great Britain will shortly dispatch fleet Of
war ships to cruise in the vicinity of our
northeastern coast line, indicate hostility
toward the United States growing out of our
position on the fisheries question; and,
Whereas, Admiral Porter has directed at
tention to the fact that twenty-seven of our
Atlantic, Gulf and Pacific harbors are abso-
lutely defenseless, and eleven of them, to-wit:
New York, San Francisco Boston, the lake
ports, Hampton roads, New Orleans, Phila-
delphia, Baltimore. Portland, Me-, and the
Rhode Island ports of NarraganSctt bay, are
in urgent need of immediate defense; and,
Whereas, 1t is alleged that Great Britain
ana Canada are In possession of charts and
eXemplifcatons of all our harbors and coast
defenses; therefore,
Resolved, That the president be requested,
as commander-in-chief Of the army and navy,
| to inform the house Of representatives at an
early day what steps, if any, are necessary in
his Judgment to provide for this emer-
gency.
The resolution was referred.
OTHER ACTION.
| By Mr., Boutelle, of Maine, resolution
directing the committee ON foreign affairs
to report back forthwith the senate retalia-
tion bill.
By Mr.. Lowering of Massachusetts, the
resolutions OF the Massachusetts legislature
| in favor of The retaliation bill.
The naval subcommittee on construction
| has reached an agreement which will doubt
| less receive the approval of the
full committee, looking to an
of two 1000 ton cruisers of the Newark
| type, five 700 ton gunboats, and three sea-
| going torpedo boats. There is an inten-
| ton on the part of the several members Of
| the committee when the construction bill
is reached in the house to move an increase
| OF the. appropriation so as to provide for
the construction Of at least three vessels in
addition to those already discussed.
JABBER IN CANADA.
| OTTAWA, Ont, Jan. 31.-Yesterday tha
| announcement was made that the imperial
government had co included to send men-of-
| war out next season to assist in the pro-
lection of the Canadian fisheries. To the
people of the United States, doubtless,
this will be anything but palatable
information. But. as a matter of
fact, tits simply following precedent estab-
| lished before the Washington treaty came
| into operation. A prominent official on being
| interrogated as to the correctness of the
| report, said:
| 1t is true that the imperial authorities have
consented to send out one or two gunboats
next spring to assist the marine police in the
enforcement of fishery rights. Some time
| since
AN UNDERSTANDING
| was arrived at with the home authorities that
! the usual assistance should be given. The
| reason why aid was not rendered last season
| was due to the long correspondence which
had taken place between Canada aud England
and to the fact that by the time the imperial
| authorities had settled on their policy the
| fishing season had nearly expired.
pointed out to this gentlemen the spe-
cial cable appearing in the Toronto Mail in
which the under secretary had been made
| to say that the Canadian cabinet had made
| a proposition which, from the lberallty of
| its character is likely to contribute to a
| settlement Of the difficulty. If from this
the inference is to be drawn that the Do
minion government has receded from the
position it has taken all along as to its
rights based on the treaty of 1918 there is a
mistake somewhere. have it on good au-
| thority that the government still adheres to
the policy it has frequently announced.
and it is reported that no offer Of the kind
the cable speaks of has been made.
Although the secretary of state has not
yet announced that the British schooners
! captured by the revenue steameg COrWin in
Alaskan waters were
UNLAWFULLY SEIZED
and held. it is learned on very good author
ity that that will be the outcome of the
| whole matter, and that proper damages
will be paid by this government for the
losses by detention. 1t is understood that
this is in accordance with an opinion of the
attorney general after carefully considering
all the court proceedings, which showed
that the vessels were catching seals outside
the three-mile line, and were, therefore,
well within their rights, according to the
construction this government has always
| insisted upon. The action taken by Messrs.
Belmont, Clements and Rice, the sub-com-
mittee of the committee on foreign affairs
on the fisheries question, is understood to
be as follows:
A majority of the subcommittee felt that
whatever course was taken by the house
should be had in view of the gravity of the
case involved, not only with the knowledge,
but with the full assent and active concur
renee of the administration. They, therefore,
deter mined 70
FORWARD COPIES
of the Edmunds joint resolution as passed by
the senate, the German retalatory bill, as
introduced into the senate, and the Belmont
retaliatory bl,as sent in by the foreign affairs
committee, to both Secretary Bayard and Sec
retary Manning. Secretary Manning is
specifically asked for an expression
of his views and preferences on the
committed by law to his supervision; and
secretary of state are asked to suggest any
notifications which may seem to them desira-
BILE in either of the measures. The earliest
possible reply is solicited.
There is an unauthorized whisper to the
effect that the reason for this course is that
the action of the senate on certain privi-
legged questions has been resented by the
administration as having been taken in vio-
lation of long established usage as to con-
sultation with the state department. and
the house committee determined to stand
right on the record in this regard.
An Important Bill Lost.